Can I Feel My Baby Move at 9 Weeks?

Nine weeks can be a magical time in your pregnancy, as things are really starting to happen! However, can you really feel your baby move this early on? Especially as first-time parents, it can feel like you\’re waiting forever to feel those first kicks! Keep reading for more information about feeling fetal movement at nine weeks pregnant.

Can you feel baby move at 9 weeks?

Most moms will not feel baby moving until at least 18 weeks, while first-time moms may start feeling some movement around 25 weeks. While it varies from mom to mom, women who have had several children may feel fetal movement as early as 13 weeks.

Because it\’s easier to distinguish your baby\’s kicks from other belly rumblings (such as gas), experienced moms typically detect those first small kicks, also known as \”quickening,\” earlier than first-time parents. It might take a few more weeks for your partner to feel the baby kick once you can feel it move.

Some women describe feeling baby move around this time, but most often what they\’re actually feeling are their own body\’s happenings. Particularly in a first pregnancy, moms tend to be more aware of every little thing their body is doing, and the anticipation of feeling those first movements means they\’re paying a lot of attention!

New moms might be mistaking fetal movement with gas or other digestive happenings – pregnant women experience all sorts of changes to their body as baby grows! While you may not have felt these things before in your body, they\’re definitely not baby\’s movements. (you\’ll feel those baby kicks soon enough!)

In a second pregnancy, many moms are too busy with their other child to have a chance to feel baby moving this early! Since they know what baby\’s movements will feel like, they\’re still more likely to feel movements sooner than other moms.

Does a baby move at 9 weeks pregnant?

Baby\’s movements at 9 weeks are usually caused by their developing nervous system. Their nervous system is busy testing out all the newly made connections by sending out little shocks, so baby\’s movement on the ultrasound will look like they\’re twitching or shivering.

In these early weeks, your uterus has more amniotic fluid inside than it does baby. The younger the baby, the more amniotic fluid. Imagine putting a mint inside of a water balloon, filled with water – there is quite a lot of buffer between you and the mint. the same is said for your baby – that fluid is going to make it a lot harder for you to feel your baby kicking.

This fluid is extremely important for baby\’s development – helping to protect them as all the very important building blocks are laid. It is this protective buffer between them and the outside world that also means you won\’t feel many of baby\’s movements yet at all.

What should I feel at 9 weeks pregnant?

At 9 weeks, the more likely things you\’ll be feeling arent baby movement – they\’re likely to be your own early pregnancy symptoms.

At this point in the first trimester, others should not be able to immediately tell that you\’re pregnant, but your body may exhibit certain changes. The early signs of pregnancy are becoming more intense. Those hunger pangs are much more of a thing, with cravings (or aversions!) impacting your choices.

Your clothes might begin to feel more constricting as a result of your growing waistline or hormone-induced swelling, depending on your size before pregnancy. Your breasts become fuller and your areolas darker as the weeks pass. As your blood volume rises to nourish your infant, you may observe that your veins stand out more prominently.

Does your stomach move at 9 weeks pregnant?

At nine weeks, you can\’t feel baby movement – but you can see your stomach moving! It\’s not because of the baby though – there\’s a good chance what you\’re seeing is your breakfast moving through your digestive system.

Your uterus (which when you\’re not pregnant is about the size of your fist) is now around the size of a grapefruit. Depending on your body shape, this change may be starting to impact the other organs in your body, and will now continue to do so during your pregnancy week on week!

How can I check on baby at 9 weeks pregnant?

Since you can\’t feel a baby\’s activities from the inside at 9 weeks, a portable Doppler ultrasound may be able to detect the heartbeat. If you\’ve not yet had your first prenatal appointment, there\’s a good chance your doctor or midwife will be able to hear it with their Doppler probe.

An ultrasound will be able to see fetal movement – elbows can bend now! Your little one is only about the size of an olive or a grape. While toes and ears are developing, you won\’t see clear baby kicks at this point – baby\’s kicking will be a little later in the second trimester.

In conclusion – you might not feel baby yet, but it won\’t be long

If you can\’t feel a baby moving at 9 weeks pregnant, don’t worry! This is not uncommon. It can be hard to tell the difference between your own movements and baby movements. You may start to experience some pregnancy symptoms like nausea or mood swings which can provide clues about what\’s happening inside your body while there are no outward signs yet.

It\’s important to remember that despite what some might say about feeling kicks early on, most parents won\’t start feeling their little one until later in the second trimester. Your baby can move it\’s arms and legs around now – but that doesn\’t necessarily mean the things you\’re feeling are baby moving.

Don\’t be alarmed if you can\’t feel anything yet, but if you\’re concerned about something that you\’re feeling, you can reach out to your doctor or midwife at any time. You can look out for baby\’s health by keeping notes of what you\’ve felt and what you\’d been doing at the time – perhaps certain foods triggered something unusual? The more information you can provide, the better.

In the meantime, while you\’re waiting to feel your baby move, you can try to sit quietly and be more aware of what you can feel in your body. When you feel that first fetal movement, you\’ll know the difference between what is your body, and what is theirs!